Zero Waste Master Plan

The City of Santa Rosa partnered with R3 Consulting Group, Inc. to develop a unique Zero Waste Plan that is quantifiable, reasonable and impactful locally. Zero Waste is defined as a process and philosophy that involves a redesign of products and a redesign of consumption, so that all material goods can be reused or recycled – or not needed at all. Currently, over 25 jurisdictions in California have Zero Waste Plans. By commissioning this work, Santa Rosa has joined a short list of innovators working to proactively address the global challenge of how to sustainably manage the waste generated as a by-product of our individual and collective consumption.

The Zero Waste Master Plan was developed with significant public input and engagement, including an online survey (from which we received hundreds of comments), several public workshops in English and Spanish, multiple stakeholder meetings, and two focus groups. Community engagement efforts sought community input about their ideas, questions, comments and concerns about Zero Waste as a concept and the practical means of reducing waste in Santa Rosa. As strategies were developed by the project team they were shared with the community, sought their input, and described why the proposed strategies were recommended for Santa Rosa.

The five recommended strategies include those that seek to stem the flow of waste at its source, establish increased requirements regarding community participation in recycling programs, maximize and enhance the diversion services, increase the amount of recovery from construction activities, and establish the City as a community leader in implementation of programs to change wasteful behaviors.

We are all in this together and therefore the City of Santa Rosa gathered significant community input and feedback. The draft Zero Waste Plan was placed online for a 30-day public comment period in April 2019. All comments were summarized and revisions to the Plan were made as appropriate. The draft Plan was presented to the City Council Climate Action Subcommittee on July 10, 2019 and September 3, 2019. The Climate Action Subcommittee supported the Plan’s strategies and recommended the draft Zero Waste Master Plan be brought forward to the full City Council for consideration.

On Tuesday January 28, 2020 the draft Zero Waste Master Plan was presented to the Santa Rosa City Council.City Council unanimously adopted the Zero Waste Master Plan and in doing so continued to dedicate staff and resources to help achieve Santa Rosa’s Climate Action Plan goals and objectives.

The City will have full discretion as to the specifics of Plan implementation, including associated timing and funding considerations. Keep an eye on this page for future updates and community zero waste content additions coming soon! We appreciate Santa Rosa residents’ interest and dedication to waste reduction and sustainability.